The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has strengthened its partnership with the media to enhance public trust and improve awareness of its reforms and core responsibilities, including trade facilitation, border security, anti-smuggling operations and economic development.
The partnership was reaffirmed on Tuesday during a strategic media parley held ahead of the opening of the 2026 Nigeria Customs Service Public Relations Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The Zonal Coordinator, Zone ‘C’, Acting Assistant Comptroller-General Pascal Chibuoke, declared the parley open on behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi.
Representing the Comptroller-General, Acting ACG Chibuoke welcomed participants from the South-East and South-South zones and urged them to maximise the conference sessions.
“Let us continue to project the positive image of the Nigeria Customs Service through effective communication and stronger public understanding of our statutory responsibilities,” he stated.
In his opening remarks, the National Public Relations Officer of the Service, Deputy Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada, described journalists as indispensable partners in nation-building, saying effective communication remains central to the success of the ongoing reforms within the NCS.
“The reforms and innovations we are driving in the Nigeria Customs Service cannot succeed in isolation without public understanding and trust,” DC Maiwada acknowledged.
In her remarks, the Customs Area Controller of Port Harcourt Area I Command, Comptroller Salamatu Atuluku, described this year’s conference theme, “Realigning Corporate Communication as a Strategic Driver of Institutional Effectiveness and Public Trust,” as timely and relevant.
Comptroller Atuluku commended CGC Adeniyi for sustaining a communication culture that has strengthened public engagement and praised the National Public Relations Officer for building on that foundation.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Chief Superintendent of Customs Emmanuel Tangwa, noted that hosting the conference in Port Harcourt reflected the Service’s recognition of the South-South’s strategic role in Nigeria’s economy.
“This engagement is more than a meeting. It provides an opportunity to share our achievements, explain our policies, and correct misconceptions,” CSC Tangwa stated.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Rivers State Council, Paul Bazia, commended the Nigeria Customs Service for maintaining an open relationship with the media, emphasising that transparency remains the foundation of public confidence.
“Our responsibility is to communicate the truth and sustain public trust. As journalists in Rivers State, we will continue to work with the Nigeria Customs Service to ensure information is disseminated accurately, promptly, and responsibly,” Bazia added.
